Notre Dame jumped to an early lead and rode it for 40 minutes, defeating Rutgers on Saturday, 73-66 in the final regular season game of the season. Mike Brey's squad finishes 23-6 overall and 11-5 in the Big East. The IRish had already clinched a bye in the first round of the conference tourney when Syracuse lost to Villanova.

Colin Falls hit for 22 points including a huge 3-pointer when Rutgers had closed the game to a four-point contest in the second half.

Once again, ND had balanced scoring behind Falls effort. Russell Carter returned to his homestate and scored 17 while Rob Kurz added 13 and Luke Harangody chipped in with 10.

The IRish finish the regular season on a five-game winning streak.